Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Difference between revisions

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'''Martin Luther King Jr. Day''' (officially '''Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.''',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/#url=2013 |title=Federal Holidays |publisher=Opm.gov |access-date=January 20, 2014 |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710025314/https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/#url=2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> and often referred to shorthand as '''MLK Day''') is a [[federal holiday in the United States]] observed on the third Monday of January each year. [[Martin Luther King Jr.|King]] was chief spokesperson for [[nonviolence|nonviolent]] activism in the [[Civil rights movement|Civil Rights Movement]], which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement leadled to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.

Born in 1929, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s actual birthday is January 15 (which in 1929 fell on a Tuesday). The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. The Monday observance is similar for those federal holidays which fall under the [[Uniform Monday Holiday Act]].

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|his assassination]] in 1968. President [[Ronald Reagan]] signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986. At first, some [[U.S. state|states]] resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. Official observance in each state's law as well as federal law occuredoccurred in 2000.

[[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] originally opposed the holiday, citing cost concerns. When asked to comment on Helms' accusations that King was a communist, the president said "We'll know in thirty-five years, won't we,", referring to the eventual release of [[FBI]] surveillance tapes that had previously been [[record sealing|sealed]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Younge|first1=Gary|title=The Misremembering of 'I Have a Dream'|journal=The Nation|date=September 2–9, 2013|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/175764/misremembering-i-have-dream|access-date=April 12, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426110321/http://www.thenation.com/article/175764/misremembering-i-have-dream|url-status=live}}</ref> But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill into law, proposed by [[Katie Hall (American politician)|Representative Katie Hall]] of Indiana, to create a federal holiday honoring King.<ref name="reagan">{{cite web|last=Woolley |first=John T. |author2=Gerhard Peters |date=November 2, 1983 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40708 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720080942/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40708 |title=Ronald Reagan: Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a National Holiday |publisher=[[The American Presidency Project]] |access-date=January 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=statute>{{USStatute|98|399|98|1475|1984|8|27}}</ref> The final vote in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] on August 2, 1983, was 338–90 (242–4 in the [[House Democratic Caucus]] and 89–77 in the [[House Republican Conference]]) with 5 members voting present or abstaining,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/h289|title=TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PASS H.R. 3706, A BILL AMENDING TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE TO MAKE THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY. (MOTION PASSED;2/3 REQUIRED).|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=May 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520080737/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/h289|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dewar"/> while the final vote in the Senate on October 19, 1983, was 78–22 (41–4 in the [[Senate Democratic Caucus]] and 37–18 in the [[Senate Republican Conference]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/s293|title=TO PASS H.R. 3706. (MOTION PASSED) SEE NOTE(S) 19.|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=May 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520132928/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/s293|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dewar |first1=Helen |title=Solemn Senate Votes For National Holiday Honoring Rev. King |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/articles/solemn_senate_votes_for_national_holiday.html |access-date=March 11, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 20, 1983 |archive-date=January 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123184908/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/articles/solemn_senate_votes_for_national_holiday.html |url-status=live }}</ref> both [[veto]]-proof margins. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.<ref name=statute/> It is observed on the third Monday of January.<ref>{{cite news |author=May, Ashley |title=What is open and closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/18/mlk-day-what-open-and-closed-martin-luther-king-jr-day/2612990002/ |work=USA Today |date=January 18, 2019 |access-date=January 20, 2019 |archive-date=January 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118213547/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/18/mlk-day-what-open-and-closed-martin-luther-king-jr-day/2612990002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Overall, as of 2019, 45% of employers gave employees the day off.<ref name="mlky">{{cite news |title=Does Observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day Align With Your Company Values? |url=https://www.yahoo.com/video/does-observing-martin-luther-king-221124283.html |access-date=16 January 2023 |date=January 14, 2021 |work=[[Yahoo Video]] |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116233455/https://www.yahoo.com/video/does-observing-martin-luther-king-221124283.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2023}} The reasons for not providing the day off have varied, ranging from the recent addition of the holiday to its occurrence just two weeks after the week between [[Christmas]] and [[New Year's Day]], when many businesses are closed for part or all of it. The [[New York Stock Exchange]] and [[NASDAQ]] both close for trading, and banks are generally closed. Additionally, many schools and places of higher education are closed for classes; others remain open but may hold seminars or celebrations of King's message. The observance of MLK Day has led to some colleges and universities extending their Christmas break to include the day as part of the break. Some employers use MLK Day as a [[Long weekend|floating or movable holiday]].<ref>{{cite news|title=MLK Day's crafters urged a day of meaning, service|last=Stewart|first=Jocelyn|date=January 16, 2006|work=[[Contra Costa Times]]}}</ref>

[[Category:Birthdays by person]]